Mayors lobbying State for better support

Mayors from the Queensland's 18 resource regions - including Mackay, Maranoa, McKinlay, Mt Isa, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Townsville, Western Downs - have made recommendations to the State Government on how they can be supported better.

The report entitled "Supporting Queensland's Resource Regions" has been released in Mackay as part of the annual conference of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ).

The 29 recommendations are broken up into three areas - policy, legislative and funding changes.

The priority is a recommendation the Government expedite the review of the Sustainable Resource Communities policy.

The report also calls for a $150 million-a-year fund to support infrastructure in mining regions.

It also asks for amendments to the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) making it compulsory for miners to formally notify councils of events that may cause serious or environmental harm.

Constitutional recognition

Meanwhile, LGAQ says it is confident a referendum on including councils in the Constitution will go ahead.

Council representatives at the annual conference have voted unanimously in favour of lobbying the Federal Government for a referendum on the constitutional recognition of local government.

LGAQ president Paul Bell says the major parties seem to support the move.

"We've talked to Labor, Liberal and the Greens parties prior to the last Federal election," he said.

"All of those were very much in favour and supportive of constitutional recognition of local government.

"They really want to see what the question is - what would we be asking the Australian people to allow to be written into the Constitution."